listen?”
He seemed to think about it for a second. “If you’re this disenchanted with methods you’ve already tried, then writing a real story might be a wise course. What place are you considering?”
“I don’t know. I just had the idea. I have notebooks full of historic places all around the world that matter to me, but I dive into one project at a time, so I’d have to research and decide which one really makes me feel inspired to tell its story. I used to write short stories all of the time when I was a kid. I’m sure my gramps still has them. Maybe I could find them and see if I had this idea even when I was little. Maybe that would help me figure out my next path.”
“I’d love to see your stories. I bet they tell a lot about you, your dreams, and your future. What we do when we’re young reflects what we’re going to do as adults. When we’re kids, we don’t have limitations like adulthood puts on us,” he told her.
It made her stomach clench to think of him coming home with her. But that was just something people said. As she uttered the words out loud for the first time, though, she realized she really did want to give more thought to this. She wasn’t ready to give up on saving the world one place at a time.
“Would you write the story as fiction or nonfiction?”
“Fiction,” she said with conviction. Then she smiled. A plan was solidifying the more the idea settled in her head.
“Besides the idea of saving a place, what plot would keep the reader interested?” He seemed genuinely captivated by what she was saying. It made her heart thud. Could she do this?
“Murder,” she finally answered with a waggle of her brows.
“There’s an evil light in your eyes. Should I worry about being alone with you in our little cave here?” he asked while caressing her arm. Fear and murder were the last things on her mind — and she had a feeling on his too.
“You should be very worried,” she said, the words far too husky to be threatening.
“I want to kiss you right now,” he told her.
His words sent a thousand-watt bolt of electricity through her entire body. She felt her core pulse and her legs tingle. How could such a simple sentence make her feel as if she could orgasm on the spot?
“I don’t understand what this is,” she said, her voice even quieter than it had been, causing him to lean closer.
“It’s chemistry,” he told her. “From the second we were seated together at the gate I’ve felt it. It’s only grown stronger. That must mean we’re supposed to do something about it.”
While he spoke he moved his fingers up her arm, over her shoulder, then across her cheek. Somewhere deep inside she thought she should probably stop this. She wasn’t the type of girl who met a guy at an airport, then got all flirty — or possibly more — a few hours later. But could she be that girl? Wouldn’t it be heaven to be free?
“I don’t kiss strangers,” she finally said after far too much time had passed.
He smiled as if he was pleased by her words. “I guess I’ll have to make sure we aren’t strangers then.”
“How do we do that?” She didn’t want to stop this, so why was she trying to tell herself she did?
“By talking. You’ve already shared a lot with me,” he pointed out.
“Yes, I have,” she said. “Now, I guess it’s your turn.”
At her words, it appeared as if shutters flew down over his eyes. That wasn’t fair at all. “Hey! What goes around comes around. You have to share something. Tell me about your family.” That was normally a subject people loved to speak about.
At her words, his eyes softened. It didn’t appear there was any family drama. That was a positive. But if she only planned on knowing this man on this flight, why should it matter what kind of a man he was? Maybe that was the researcher in her. Maybe she truly had to know a person even if it was for less than twenty-four hours.
“I’m one of five brothers. I’m in the middle, which means I was wanted the most. The first couple of kids are trial and error, and the last two are spares,” he said with a chuckle.
“That’s certainly a new way to look at birth order,” she told